Wednesday, 27 July 2016

What about a swirly dessert from Vienna?


You will have realised by now that I have a sweet tooth and love pudding! Therefore I chose yet another dessert recipe for this week's blog. Apple Strudel must be one of the world's most famous desserts. Originally from Vienna, in Austria, it is the perfect recipe to illustrate Lynn Crain's romantic time travel short story SEALED WITH A KISS, which is set in Vienna in 1874.

LETTERBOX STORIES is a bestselling anthology of romantic short stories and is available from https://www.amazon.co.uk/Letterbox-Love-Stories-International-Romance-ebook/dp/B01HJ41MKQ?ie=UTF8&ref_=asap_bc

What if a life-changing letter arrived in today's mail? Now imagine it leads to love and adventure! From the northern British Isles, across the mainland of Europe, and on to Turkey, nine international Award-winning and Multi-published Romance Authors share spellbinding love stories told across time. This collection includes contemporary, historical and futuristic time travel romances touched by magic. And each begins with a letter...
 
Photo courtesy of Pixabay

SEALED WITH A KISS by Lynn Crain
In 2084, time travelling detective, Tandi Reynolds, tipped off by a letter, needs to stop an assassin before he kills a newly elected leader. When she finds him in 1874, Vienna, it’s clear a cold blooded killer is only one of her problems. Time is fleeting, so falling in love with her contact, the charismatic Count Leopold Radetzky von Radetz, is a bad idea, but keeping her feelings in check is not easy when she relies on him for her every need.


Photo courtesy of Pixabay
Apple Strudel
Serves 6
Takes about 30 minutes to prepare and 35 minutes to bake
 
Photo courtesy of Pixabay

Ingredients
3 cups of Granny Smith apples or any other baking apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced

1 sheet of frozen Puff Pastry
1/4 cup of seedless raisons (which you soak overnight in rum or water)
1 tbsp flour
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 egg lightly beaten
1 tbsp water

Instructions
1. Thaw the puff pastry sheet at room temperature for 30 minutes;

2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees;

3. Drain the raisins;

4. In a large bowl, mix the flour, the sugar and the cinnamon. Add the apple slices and the drained raisins. Make sure the fruit is well coated;

5. On a lightly floured surface, unfold the pastry sheet and roll it into a 16x12 inch rectangle (40x30cms);

6. Place the pastry so that the shorter end (12 inch / 30 cms end) is closer to you. Spoon the apples and raisins on the bottom half of the pastry, leaving a one inch border (3cms);

7. Roll the pastry like a jam roll;

8. Place the strudel with the seam side down on a baking sheet. Seal the ends;

9. Beat an egg, mix with the water, and brush over the strudel;

10. Cut slits on top of the strudel so that steam can get out whilst baking;

11. Bake for about 35 minutes until golden;

12. When the strudel has cooled, sprinkle icing sugar;

13. Serve with cream (whipping cream like on the photo) or vanilla ice-cream.

I hope you will enjoy this dessert as much as me...
And now, one last photo of beautiful Vienna!
Photo courtesy of Pixabay

5 comments:

  1. My grandmother emmigrated from Hungary in the early 1900s. Every Saturday morning, she made delicious apple, cherry, and cabbage strudel along with breads, coffee cakes and other kinds of bakery they would use that week. I used to watch her roll the dough out until it was almost transparent on her kitchen table for the strudel. Her strudel was delicious. She would send it home to all of her children's families who would devour it. It was such a treat.

    Best wishes, Marie for Letterbox Love Stories.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It must have been absolutely wonderful to grow up with your grandmother, Susan. This is a very quick and easy recipe, and I am sure your grandmother would not use frozen pastry at all! Thank you so much for visiting and for your comment.

      Delete
  2. I can't tell you the times that I by-passed this only because of how decadent it made me feel. Then one day, my husband gave it a try and I must admit it was very nice. I must admit, I should have eaten more of it.

    Now for the pictures. The first one is taken from one of the high windows in Stephansdom Cathedral. It is one of the most iconic places in the city. The second place is called the Graben and it's the premier shopping district in the city. It was one of the many places we walked through and I was always entertained by Versace, Armani and more. The last picture is of the reflecting pond in front of Belevedere Palace. My office looked out over the gardens of the palace and that spot was about a block away.

    Thanks, Marie for making me remember some of the best times during my 5 year stay in the wonderful city of Vienna.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. How wonderful it must have been to live there, Lynn! I have never visited but I really hope I can go one day to Vienna and Salzburg...

      Delete
  3. I can't tell you the times that I by-passed this only because of how decadent it made me feel. Then one day, my husband gave it a try and I must admit it was very nice. I must admit, I should have eaten more of it.

    Now for the pictures. The first one is taken from one of the high windows in Stephansdom Cathedral. It is one of the most iconic places in the city. The second place is called the Graben and it's the premier shopping district in the city. It was one of the many places we walked through and I was always entertained by Versace, Armani and more. The last picture is of the reflecting pond in front of Belevedere Palace. My office looked out over the gardens of the palace and that spot was about a block away.

    Thanks, Marie for making me remember some of the best times during my 5 year stay in the wonderful city of Vienna.

    ReplyDelete

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